Goa is one of seven states that will hold Assembly elections next year
Highlights
- The Congress faced a "spate of resignations" in the coastal state of Goa
- Senior leader Moreno Rebelo also quit before Priyanka Gandhi's Goa visit
- The party now has only three MLAs left ahead of the 2022 Goa election
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's visit to Goa today - to campaign ahead of next year's election - came at a difficult moment for the Congress, which is leaking leaders in the state as it fights efforts from Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool and Arvind Kejriwal's AAP to replace it as the de facto leader of the opposition.
The Congress faced a "spate of resignations" in the coastal state, according to news agency PTI, as Ms Gandhi Vadra flew in this morning.
Gupesh Naik, a former panchayat leader who was among those to walk out, slammed the party as a "non-starter" and said it "does not seem interested (in the election)".
In the southern part of the state, senior leader Moreno Rebelo also quit. Mr Rebelo cited discontent with the Congress' decision that Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco would defend his seat.
"Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco never participated in any party activities... only abused party leaders... worked against the (party)... but is declared as a candidate," Mr Rebelo said in his resignation letter.
The combined impact on the Congress' fortune ahead of the 2022 Goa election is still unclear, but the party now has only three MLAs left and has lost two ex-chief ministers and MLAs since September.
Ravi Naik quit and re-joined the BJP after 19 years, while Luizinho Faleiro joined Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool.
There are also question marks over the alliance with the Goa Forward Party - an influential former BJP ally also courted by the Trinamool.
This comes after ex-Union Minister P Chidambaram said the Congress had only extended support and was not in an alliance with the GFP.
Intra-party schisms were promptly exposed after another senior party leader, Dinesh Gundu Rao, scheduled a meeting between GFP chief Vijay Sardesai and Girish Chodankar, the Goa Congress chief.
If these setbacks upset Ms Gandhi Vadra, she was careful not to show it. The Congress leader was filmed smiling and taking part in a traditional dance with women at Morpirla village in south Goa.
Today's resignations are far from the first the Congress has suffered in Goa.
On Tuesday, Ravi Naik quit. The Congress dismissed the resignation and "disowned" Mr Naik.
Luizinho Faleiro quit in September. He credited master poll strategist Prashant Kishor with the move and then took aim at the Congress, accusing it of never really wanting to seize power.
In 2017 the Congress won 17 seats to the BJP's 13. But the latter moved swiftly to link with regional parties, including the GFP, to form the government.
The GFP and the BJP had a falling-out in April, and Mr Sardesai was courted by Ms Banerjee when she visited Goa in October but he was unconvinced with the request for a merger over an alliance.
The Goa Forward Party is the new kid on the block - it was only launched in 2016. However, the fact it picked up 3.5 per cent of the votes in its very first election has made it an appealing local ally.
But the Congress will need a strong performance of its own if it wants to win control of Goa, particularly with Mamata Banerjee in the fray. The Trinamool has snapped up the other former BJP ally - the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) - which has three MLAs.
With input from PTI